


You, I quit

by FreysGalli



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Agent Carolina - Freeform, Agent Washington - Freeform, Angst, Franklin Delano Donut - Freeform, Gen, Lavernius Tucker - Freeform, Lopez (Red vs. Blue) - Freeform, M/M, Michael J Caboose - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2017-05-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 14:25:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10969077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreysGalli/pseuds/FreysGalli
Summary: You. All of you. I quit.Simmons doesn't want to make a decision, but it looks like Grif and the others are forcing him to.





	You, I quit

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to a-taller-tale and slambam for betaing this for me!

_“...quit what?”_

**“You. All of you. I quit.”**

Simmons freezes as Grif’s words reverberate in his mind. He knows that Grif and the others keep talking. But those words. That pointed look.

_You. All of you. I quit._

Those words won’t leave, and he still can’t believe that this is happening. He tries to make sense of it. Why this? Why now? He understands Grif not wanting to go on this goose chase. Honestly he doesn’t want to either, but he doesn’t know what else to do other than follow orders. Follow this weird (fuck he hates to say it but) _family_ he's made over the years because...well, they're all he has.

But even after everything. Basic. Blood Gulch. The surgery. The shade. The Freelancers. The Meta. The rescue. The cliff. Fucking Chorus and The Staff of Charon _._ The...the closet. After all that bullshit, Grif says this? In front of _everyone_? The linger on the first “ _you”_ and the unmistakable look at Simmons. How is he supposed to take that?!

 **“Come on, Simmons** ,” Sarge barks.

Simmons starts. Realizes that he’s the only one not moving. Grif’s already walking away and everyone else is heading to the ship. He wants to talk to Grif! His...his....Boyfriend? Lover? Friend? Squadmate? He doesn’t know what they are anymore. He doesn't want to accept that this is it. This is the end of Grif and Simmons.

Just...if they were at _least_ friends, wouldn't Grif have said _something_ to him? To let him know that Grif was hurting? That he had done something to hurt Grif?

_You. All of you. I quit._

This is so fucking on the spot; does Grif expect him to say something? But he has nothing prepared to say! He doesn’t know what to say to fix this!

What did he do wrong? What did he mess up? Did he go too far with the bickering and insults? Did he say the wrong thing? Did he not do enough? What can he do to fix this? Can he even fix it? Can he change if that’s what it takes?

What’s he supposed to do? He just needs an hour. Time to think. Time to talk things out!

**“On the double, soldier!”**

He watches as Sarge and the others continue towards the ships, and he looks back to see Grif is still walking further away from them...and Simmons is standing like a fucking dumbass in the middle.

He doesn’t have time. He has to make a decision now. He just…he just wants hope. A sign that they’ll be ok. He wants to shout out, but he doesn’t want everyone else’s opinions and thoughts right now. He just wants _Grif’s_!

So he opens their private channel.

 _“Grif?”_ The pop of the static is deafening. _“Come on, asshole! Answer me! ….Grif, please!”_ He waits a beat longer before he remembers that Grif cut off his radio after Dylan showed them Church’s message.

Fuck. He should have known something was wrong _then_. He should have checked. He just thought Grif needed space to think about what was going on, but he hadn’t seen this coming! How could he have known? Grif didn’t really give him any hint something was wrong! No warning. No heads up! No bitch or gripe! Nothing.

...but Simmons probably should have known. Should have known it was only a matter of time. It always happened when he was younger, before the military, before Red Team, before...before Grif and Simmons.

_You. All of you. I quit._

He just...he just thought, he _hoped_ it was different this time.

 **“Simmons! Get yer keester over here or we’re leaving you with the-the Dirtbag!”** Sarge’s voice loses its comforting hardness at the end.

Tucker, Wash, Carolina, and the reporters are walking into their ships already, but Sarge, Donut, Lopez, and Caboose have stopped walking and are staring at him. Simmons doesn’t need to see their faces to know there’s a range of anger, confusion, and sadness plastered on all of them.

Simmons looks back at Grif then looks at the others.

The others are ready to go and leave. Just leave Grif behind, but Simmons wants to understand, wants to fix things! To stay and talk and figure this out.

He thinks he can get Sarge and the other Reds to listen, but...as usual, they don’t really have a choice or say in the matter other than join up or get left behind. With the way Tucker’s reacting, he’s not going to listen to Simmons pleas to wait, and he knows the Freelancers won’t either. Washington will listen to what Tucker says, and Carolina is just as itchy to get going to find whatever version of Church that recording is. Plus Sarge has something to fight and focus on. The glee in his voice was apparent at the thought of another fight. Donut gets to be a social butterfly again; has someone besides them to talk to. Lopez will follow whatever Sarge asks. It sounds like leaving is the best decision for _them,_ and they won’t listen to Simmons...like normal.

But if he stays...he can’t call for a pickup because he risks the UNSC finding and arresting him _and_ Grif for the shit the imposters are doing. There’s no ships other than the two that are primed to leave. So he would be stuck here with Grif, and, under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t bother him at all! In fact he would have been more than happy! But...

But what if Grif hates him? What if they _can’t_ fix this? Then Simmons is stuck on this moon with a person that hates him and wants nothing to do with him. It would be like living with his parents all over again and he...he can’t. He can’t do that again. As much as he wants to talk with Grif...he can’t stay here with no way out and no support.

He doesn’t want to make this choice. Why did Grif put him on the spot like this? Did Grif know what Simmons would pick? Was that the point? To show how weak and how big of a coward he was?

_You. All of you. I quit._

Simmons decides that maybe he should read between the lines or, rather, remove a line and then read it in some fucked up mocking Yoda voice.

“You, I quit,” he says and chuckles bitterly at his shitty Yoda impression. Grif would have laughed, but Grif’s not with him anymore.

...And thinking about it, it makes sense. Grif gets to choose now. He’s not _forced_ to be around Simmons anymore. He’s not in the military. There’s literally no one who can order him to do shit or be around certain people now. He doesn't have to settle. Now, he can just leave and go wherever he wants...and-and be with whoever he wants and…

He doesn’t want Simmons anymore.

As that thought crosses his mind, he's aware of the hollow ache in his chest that's worse than anything he remembers. It’s even worse than the surgery that removed his heart to give to someone else all those years ago.

Simmons looks at Grif one more time. He follows the others to the ship.

**Author's Note:**

> This has been bouncing around in my head since that episode. There's been a lot of good stuff about Grif, and I just wanted to do Simmons side.


End file.
